Undoubtedly we in Hong Kong benefit from the 300,000 plus foreign domestic helpers who have left their rural communities to seek employment. They help raise our children, look after our elderly, and enable us to have active work and social lives. Yet, in spite of this, they are often victims of discrimination, neglect, and abuse, even more so when they become pregnant and their employment contracts are suddenly and unlawfully terminated. In many cases, these pregnant women and mothers are literally sent to the street without fair compensation, resources or support.

There are over 6,000 vulnerable migrant pregnant women, mothers and children in Hong Kong who desperately need our help.

Our Speaker, Kylie Uebergang is a native Australian who moved to Hong Kong in early 1999. In late 2001 after several years working as a Chartered Accountant in Australia, Canada and Hong Kong, Kylie pursued her long yearned dream of being more involved in community development through getting involved with Civic Exchange, Hong Kong’s first and primary independent policy research and development think tank. At first, Kylie undertook research and later moved into project management in addition to becoming their CFO, which is a position she still holds today. She has also recently become a Director and their Treasurer. Caring deeply about the issues of vulnerable children and women she wanted to be more involved in grass roots issues in Hong Kong which led her to co found and become the Executive Director of PathFinders in late 2007. To date PathFinders has supported over 1,200 migrant mothers and their mixed-race out-of-wedlock babies born in Hong Kong.